The R-Rated Girls Trip Movie That Everyone Is Watching On Netflix
An unfortunate reality of adulthood is losing contact with friends. People get jobs, start families, and move away, which makes hanging out with our old buddies more difficult. As such, it's important to make every reunion count, and this theme is explored with hilarious outcomes in "Girls Trip" — a 2017 movie that's enjoying a new lease on life thanks to Netflix. FlixPatrol reported last week that the film was one of the streaming service's top 10 movies in the United States, suggesting that audiences are falling in love with the Malcolm D. Lee-directed comedy all over again.
"Girls Trip" is a feel-good adventure movie with an R-rated spin. The story follows four lifelong friends — Ryan (Regina Hall), Sasha (Queen Latifah), Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith), and Dina (Tiffany Haddish) — who haven't seen each other for years. They all agree that a reunion is long overdue, so they decide to go to a festival and engage in some drunken mishaps and raunchy escapades.
Critics praised "Girls Trip" for its boundary-pushing qualities, strong characters, and many laugh-out-loud moments. Furthermore, the film is notable for being the first movie penned by African American women to gross over $100 million at the box office. That makes "Girls Trip" historic, and the writing team of Erica Rivinoja, Kenya Barris, and Tracy Oliver deserve credit for bringing a unique vision to the story.
Girls Trip brings a fresh perspective to a familiar genre
"Girls Trip" offers plenty of raunchy moments that will please fans of R-rated comedies, but it's about more than that. While speaking to Script Magazine, co-writer Tracy Oliver explained that it's a love story about sisterhood that aims to empower women, which gives it more heart than those R-rated comedies that went too far. Moreover, she saw "Girls Trip" as an opportunity to represent a specific demographic on the screen.
"I knew this type of movie was important because it shows a different side of black lives, and specifically, black women," Oliver said. "I have a raunchy sensibility, naturally. I cuss, I drink, and if you have an edible on you, I'll definitely try a piece. I'm the girl that's not afraid to say the word 'd**k,' but as a black woman, I have the added layer of respectability politics that white writers don't have to worry about."
Naturally, the film's success has made some viewers want to see more of these characters. The good news, however, is that "Girls Trip 2" is in the works with the original cast in tow. Hopefully, the first film's success on Netflix will speed up the process to get the sequel off the ground.
If you enjoyed "Girls Trip," you might want to check out the 98 best comedies of all time.